The first weekend of Modern Warfare 2 and the first major stress test for the shooter’s servers is coming to a close, but the problems are only continuing to grow for Activision. The developer hasn’t openly commented on this with fans yet, but it looks like there are some fairly big issues with several popular Modern Warfare 2 maps – which could lead to their exclusion from ranked playlists and the CDL, or their complete removal from the game.
Following Activision’s decision to rename the “Marina Bay Grand Prix” multiplayer map to “Crown Raceway”, a decision many think was made due to issues using the street circuit’s real name in-game, journalist Jacob Hale has reported that CDL pro Anthony “Methodz” Zinni has seemingly confirmed that competitive esports league players will not be able to “play the F1 map” going forward.
This information was sent as a text to Dillon ‘Attach’ Price while streaming Hardpoint scrims on Modern Warfare 2, who then speculated that this map’s exclusion is due to legal issues.
While we can’t say for certain that this is the case, it does seem likely when you consider the fact that PC Gamer has reported that owners of Amsterdam’s Conservatorium Hotel are considering legal action against Activision due to the hotel’s appearance in Modern Warfare 2 through the “Breenbergh Hotel” multiplayer map.
Originally reported by Dutch media outlet de Volksrant, it appears that the hotel’s management have outlined that Modern Warfare 2 “in no way reflects [the] core values [of the Conservatorium Hotel] and [the hotel] regrets [its] apparent and unwanted involvement”. There’s no confirmation that the hotel will take legal action against Activision, but it could lead to the removal of this multiplayer map from the game altogether.
If you’re sitting there thinking that this is a little extreme, there’s speculation that this is actually the main reason behind the absence of Modern Warfare 2’s “Valderas Museum” multiplayer map – which featured during the Modern Warfare 2 beta.
As speculated by DotEsports, it seems as though the fact that Modern Warfare 2’s “Valderas Museum” is actually based somewhat on the Getty Center in Los Angeles is why it isn’t available in-game right now. As you might imagine, the owners of this real-life location could be quite frustrated to find that it’s being depicted as something of a warzone in the latest Call of Duty game. Allegedly, Activision didn’t get permission to recreate the location in-game – but, we can’t confirm that yet.
Either way, though, it’s clear that Activision is in some hot water with Modern Warfare 2 and it could get worse before it gets better. We could see the aforementioned “Valderas Museum” multiplayer map introduced when the Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 release date rolls around, but we can’t say for certain. But, we will update you with more information when it is available.
For now, though, it’s worth checking out the best Modern Warfare 2 settings for multiplayer here and the latest loadouts for the best guns and weapons in the game. You never know, you might find you’re missing out on a certified banger.